San Jose Sharks goalie Antti Niemi, right, is congratulated by teammates Ryane Clowe (29) and Brent Burns (88) after the defeat of the Dallas Stars at the end of an NHL hockey game Saturday, March 31, 2012, in San Jose, Calif.

Photo: Ben Margot, Associated Press

San Jose Sharks goalie Antti Niemi, right, is congratulated by...

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Jamie Benn #14 of the Dallas Stars collides with Tommy Wingels #57 of the San Jose Sharks going after a loose puck at HP Pavilion at San Jose on March 31, 2012 in San Jose, California.

Photo: Thearon W. Henderson, Getty Images

Jamie Benn #14 of the Dallas Stars collides with Tommy Wingels #57...

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Dallas Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen, right, collides with San Jose Sharks' Logan Couture during the second period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, March 31, 2012, in San Jose, Calif. Couture was charged with goalie interference on the play.

Photo: Ben Margot, Associated Press

Dallas Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen, right, collides with San Jose...

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Dominic Moore #18 of the San Jose Sharks fights for control of the puck with Alex Goligoski #33 of the Dallas Stars in the second period of an NHL hockey game at HP Pavilion at San Jose on March 31, 2012 in San Jose, California.

Photo: Thearon W. Henderson, Getty Images

Dominic Moore #18 of the San Jose Sharks fights for control of the...

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Tommy Wingels #57 of the San Jose Sharks attempts to deflect the puck pass goaltender Kari Lehtonen #32 of the Dallas Stars in the second period of an NHL hockey game at HP Pavilion at San Jose on March 31, 2012 in San Jose, California.

Photo: Thearon W. Henderson, Getty Images

Tommy Wingels #57 of the San Jose Sharks attempts to deflect the...

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Sheldon Souray #44 of the Dallas Stars collides with Dan Boyle #22 of the San Jose Sharks during an NHL hockey game at HP Pavilion at San Jose on March 31, 2012 in San Jose, California. The Sharks won the game 3-0.

Photo: Thearon W. Henderson, Getty Images

Sheldon Souray #44 of the Dallas Stars collides with Dan Boyle #22...

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Vernon Fiddler #38 of the Dallas Stars trips over goaltender Antti Niemi #31 during an NHL hockey game at HP Pavilion at San Jose on March 31, 2012 in San Jose, California. The Sharks won the game 3-0.

Photo: Thearon W. Henderson, Getty Images

Vernon Fiddler #38 of the Dallas Stars trips over goaltender Antti...

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Dominic Moore #18 and Torrey Mitchell #17 of the San Jose Sharks fights for control of the puck with Alex Goligoski #33 of the Dallas Stars in the second period of an NHL hockey game at HP Pavilion at San Jose on March 31, 2012 in San Jose, California. The Sharks won the game 3-0.

Photo: Thearon W. Henderson, Getty Images

Dominic Moore #18 and Torrey Mitchell #17 of the San Jose Sharks...

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Dominic Moore #18 of the San Jose Sharks looks on against the Dallas Stars in the second period of an NHL hockey game at HP Pavilion at San Jose on March 31, 2012 in San Jose, California. The Sharks won the game 3-0.

The Sharks can outplay teams all they like. They can outshoot them by a dozen, knock them around, keep them from touching the puck for minutes. And it can mean nothing, without two things:

Someone who finds a way to score, and someone who finds a way to keep the puck out of the net.

Joe Pavelski did the first, and Antti Niemi and the penalty kill unit did the second Saturday. San Jose continued to control the flow of games, but this time came away with better numbers on the scoreboard and in the standings as well as the stat sheet, beating the Stars 3-0 at the Tank.

The Sharks hopped the Stars in the standings with the win, into eighth in the West with three games remaining, though an opportunity to fall back out of playoff position awaits Tuesday in Dallas.

When things are clicking for San Jose, the offense seems easy, and that was the case in this one. Joe Thornton made a pass he's made a couple thousand times in his career, through traffic to an open man in the slot, and Pavelski snapped the puck home 58 seconds into the game. Then Martin Havlat showed his playmaking skills with a saucer pass to pinching defenseman Jason Demers late in the same period, and Thornton again set up Pavelski in the second, though this time he did it by passing to defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic at the point while Pavelski went to the front of the net to tip the puck in.

"We scored one on the power play, the penalty kill was good, we got the lead, we were able to check, didn't give up many chances," coach Todd McLellan said. "Able to use four lines, didn't have to overplay guys. Good in the face-off circle. Showed some discipline as far as systematic play, as well as emotional control against an emotional team."

All systems go, for a team that came in with one goal on 67 shots in two straight losses. What changed? Pavelski deserves a lot of the credit, finding a way to get the Sharks on the board early against a team coming off a night game and late flight from Vancouver.

"He's just a dirty player; he gets in dirty places," Thornton said of Pavelski. "He wills himself in front of the net."

Pavelski is cementing his reputation as the Sharks' best clutch scorer, with seven of his team-high 31 goals coming in the past nine games.

Niemi and the penalty kill, meanwhile, are doing a bit of rehab to their reputations.

After an ugly stretch in which Niemi's save percentage was less than .910 (a pretty average number for goalies) five times in seven games, it's been above .925 in five of the past six. He didn't get tested much Saturday, but made 22 saves for the shutout.

San Jose's penalty kill, which came into the game third-to-last in the league, went 3-for-3 and allowed only one shot. Justin Braun saved a goal with a quick-reaction blocked shot in the first period, and the shorthanded effort had fans giving their most sustained round of applause of the game in the second.

Playoff chase

Five teams are in the mix for the final three playoff spots in the West. Four of those teams (in bold) also are shooting to earn the No. 3 playoff seed by winning the Pacific Division title:

Team

GP

Pts

TB*

3. Kings

79

91

33

7. Coyotes

79

91

33

8. Sharks

79

90

32

9. Stars

79

89

35

10. Avalanche

80

88

32

Note: * tiebreaker for teams with the same number of points and games played is non-shootout wins.